About this Course
In this course you will learn about understanding and changing mental and physical health behavior. We will examine both the historical context and the current science. Major topics will include fundamental behavioral principles and basic elements of empirically supported individual treatments (e.g., motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapies). Lectures and examples will illustrate both the theory and the practice of evidence-based approaches to behavior change. You will engage in a course-long behavior change experiment as well as brief quizzes. Please note: this course is designed to introduce you to a range of contemporary approaches to behavioral treatments; however, it will not provide the skills needed to implement psychological interventions with others (this requires years of graduate training) nor is it designed to address or resolve your own psychological problems. For each module, students will complete 1 assignment related to their personal behavior change project and 1 quiz on the week’s material
What You'll Learn
- Understand fundamental principles of behavior change
- Apply principles in evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions
- Analyze mental and physical health behaviors
- Conduct behavior change experiments
- Evaluate behavioral changes using educational tools
Prerequisites
- Basic computer and internet skills
- Ability to read English instructions and complete short practice activities
Instructors
Alexis May
Assistant Professor of Psychology